F30 328i Driven: The sweet spot of the new 3 series line.

[sportyaccordy]

Do you think an automaker would put an electronic e-brake on its vehicles if it didn't think it would be reliable?  Cars are friggin' reliable these days, if you didn't know.

And why do you have a hard time believing that?  Have you ever pulled a lever or something with a cable on it and the cable just snapped?  One doesn't inspect their parking brake cable every day to see if it's unraveling.  Chances are, you're gonna give it one last tug and it's gonna snap.  Cables like that stretch slightly, but certainly don't fail "partially"...when they fail, they snap.  Without warning.

Yep. I had shifter cables fail like that. Sold a car to a dude, he turns the corner, can't shift into any gear. FURIOUS, naturally, really a bummer of a summer Saturday. Car was obv working fine before (though admittedly sometimes it was tough to go into gear- to be expected of a 20 yr old car). Point being, shit fails, electronics are not out to kill you.

That review was also written by Michael Karesh, whom many people dislike because of his anti-German anything. Let him drive a Camry V6 and he'll be praising its "performance". 

Well you are anti-Japanese anything (except Mitsubishi because you refuse to hate anything your family owns) so its weird that you would complain about this.

And I don't see anything in this article that was over the top, dude was just being honest. He still had positive things to say about the car.

[cawimmer430]

Well you are anti-Japanese anything (except Mitsubishi because you refuse to hate anything your family owns) so its weird that you would complain about this.

Huh? I am anti-Japanese anything? WHAT!?

Just because I would never consider a Lexus (or trash talk about them sometimes) doesn't make me anti-Japanese. There is simply no Japanese car offered in Europe that appeals to me or fits my needs. The European brands are much better adapted for what I am looking for. That's all.

[AltinD]

So Raza just disslike the E-brake because he don't trust electronics, and here I was thinking it would be because he can't pull it and do donuts (or whatever) in a car equiped with it.


.... so Raza, isn't a Turbo adding more complexity and things to get wrong, both mechanically and electronically, too?

[sportyaccordy]

So Raza just disslike the E-brake because he don't trust electronics, and here I was thinking it would be because he can't pull it and do donuts (or whatever) in a car equiped with it.


.... so Raza, isn't a Turbo adding more complexity and things to get wrong, both mechanically and electronically, too?

That's different. Turbos don't fail, and also turbo = God

[LonghornTX]

The target market of the 5er also has shifting expectations.

BMW just won't make the 5er a cruiser overnight because they feel like it. I remember that the two main complaints about the E60 5er were the cramped interior and the uncomfortable ride. BMW took care of that with the F10 5er, which I also experienced when Colin visited me in Europe with a 530d rental. Comfortable suspension, comfortable seats and roomier than the E60 (experienced them twice).

It's safe to say that BMW 5er owners "grow old" with their cars. Maybe in the '90s they loved the sporty handling of their E39. Then in the 2000s they loved the sportiness of the E60. But in the 2010s they've gotten older, wiser and want a blend of comfort and sport but without giving up to much sport. That's where the F10 comes in IMO.

That is an interesting theory, and might just play out. However, like Colin said, BMW is playing with fire when they decided to change the purpose of the car from what originally made it famous. Personally, after driving the F10 535i, I would never consider buying one. It lost all the charm that made BMWs special (especially the 5), and different, from their peers. I have owned an E34, and drove/worked on every other generation at one point in time. Granted, I may not represent everyone, but this lifelong BMW enthusiast would look elsewhere when considering a non top line (M/AMG/RS etc) mid-size euro. The F01 is a pretty disappointing product too.

Luckily, this car seems to not have strayed from its roots too much, and the recent 1M was pretty sweet too.

[Raza]

That's different. Turbos don't fail, and also turbo = God

You're finally seeing the light. 

[sportyaccordy]

That is an interesting theory, and might just play out. However, like Colin said, BMW is playing with fire when they decided to change the purpose of the car from what originally made it famous. Personally, after driving the F10 535i, I would never consider buying one. It lost all the charm that made BMWs special (especially the 5), and different, from their peers. I have owned an E34, and drove/worked on every other generation at one point in time. Granted, I may not represent everyone, but this lifelong BMW enthusiast would look elsewhere when considering a non top line (M/AMG/RS etc) mid-size euro. The F01 is a pretty disappointing product too.

Luckily, this car seems to not have strayed from its roots too much, and the recent 1M was pretty sweet too.

The car you should be looking at is a 335i. The current 5 is for folks who would have bought an old 7 series.

Even still, blech at a turbo I4. None of the modern ones sound good, even uncorked

[LonghornTX]

The car you should be looking at is a 335i. The current 5 is for folks who would have bought an old 7 series.

Yes, I am familiar with the size creep happening across the lineup (and the industry), but even then, the F10 doesn't have anything on a E38 Sport Package.